Passing PR as an PPC affiliate

does this method work?

[nyehouse]

I am setting up an affiliate program where I will pay X cents for every referral to the site, but being the greedy capitalist that I am, I also want the PR if possible.

I am thinking of setting up each vendor with a directory and page www.widgets.com/aff1/mainpage.html as opposed to www.widgets.com/default.asp?aff=aff1 and then either putting up a 301 redirect to homepage or redirecting them to home page, or creating a page saying "thank you for coming to our site from aff1, we value your business. Please use the search box below or click here to to go to our home page...."

Is this more trouble than its worth. I have read similar discussions here but mostly related to affiliates where you need to track the visitor after he leaves in case he returns. I pay only PPC so not sure if this makes the issues less complex. I do not think so.

Thanks

TGN

[Kandevil]

If your running an affiliate program and worried about PR, your thinking about it the wrong way. You want affiliates that bring you sales, not PR. Go get the PR yourself.

[ThomasB]

well said Kandevil.

The best affiliate programs out there give a lot more back than the affiliates expect and don't take more than the affiliates are willing to give.

[iThink]

I wonder how many affiliates will even join a program which is more interested in PR as compared to making the actual sale?

[jomaxx]

In general I don't like these schemes where the ulterior motive (gaining PR) is probably more important to the merchant than the affiliate program itself.

However, since this particular program is PPC, it doesn't matter whether a sale is made or not. IMO affiliates can decide for themselves if the bargain is worth it.

As for the program itself, my only comment would be not to go for option 3 (no redirect). You could easily lose half the traffic you're paying for on that "thank you" page, before they ever see your site.

[blaze]

I have a thesis that the attitude expressed above is actually undervaluing a valuable commodity that an affiliate has but is not being properly compensated for.

The fact is that PR is divided up amonst links on a web page regardless of whether or not those links are directly going to merchants or not.

Wouldn't it be nice to get a greater percentage of a sale because you are transfering your PR to merchants rather than uselessly letting it vaporize into an affiliate bit bucket?

Also, my argument could also be extended to say that your website will be ranked higher by engines because you are linking to relevant websites rather than some irrelevant (at least to search engines) affiliate management network redirect link.

[iThink]

The fact is that PR is divided up almost links on a web page regardless of whether or not those links are directly going to merchants or not.

This is not correct. If done correctly then your site will not leak PR and will not give anything to merchant.

Also, my argument could also be extended to say that your website will be ranked higher by engines because you are linking to relevant websites rather than some irrelevant (at least to search engines) affiliate management network redirect link.

I believe post-Florida google doesn't like affiliate sites. A straight link to a known merchant is a sure giveaway to googlebot that the site under question is an affiliate site and hence is to be treated accordingly.

[blaze]

Yes, I can believe that if you do subtle things with your robots.txt, redirects, and what else you can avoid dividing up outgoing your PR and decreasing your voting power.

However, for those who aren't capable or aren't aware, they are dividing up their outgoing PR.

And if you are linking to CJ, then Google most assuredly is going to know that you are linking to an affiliate! However, if you are directly linking to their website - then it is unlikely (though I suppose possible in an improbable sort of way) they are going to know that you are linking to an affiliate.

I mean, I have a clean link to [amazon.com...] .. I'm going to be punished because they have an affiliate program?

I think not.

However, if I link to linksynergy.com .. then Google knows that I have only one thing in mind.

[yanov]

I believe that the start of the discussion was given by nyehouse.He told that he wants to "buy" PR.I'm new here but I'm starting to feel that there is a war between companies.And this war is not to have their sites on the top but to be everywhere.I think that we are the plague that they need.We spread their products everywhere(I'm sorry for saying "WE".I even don't have a site.By "we" I mean the community :) ).Is that right?